Shirt



No Model.)

J. B. PEARSON.

SHIRT.

No. 582,223. Patented May 11, 1897.

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V UNITED STATES PATENT @rmcn.

JOHN B. PEARSON, OF: SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHIRT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,223, dated May 11, 1897. 3

A li ati fil d December 5, 1895- Serial No. 571,150. (No model.)

To allwhom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN B. PEARSON, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shirt-s, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is intended to be applied to the collars of that class of shirts known as neglige shirts-that is, shirts which are intended to be worn unstarched and are usually made of flannel or of some fancy mate rial, such as cheviot or jersey knit goods.

My invention relates to a means for stiffening the collars of such shirts without the use of starch. It consists in the combination, with the collar, of suitably shaped pieces which when in place interlock and which are inserted between two thicknesses of the material through a small opening in the outer edge of the overlying portion of the collar near its center, which opening is sufficiently large for the purpose, but which when the part is being worn closes naturally and without theaddition of any button or other fastening device. The interlocking parts are then held in an annular closed pocket and form a stretching-stay.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a plan of the collar constructed according to myinvention attached to the neck-band and standing up. Figs. 2 and 3 show the preferred form of my stiffening device, the parts being separated in Fig. 2 and interlocking in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a View of the collar turned over, showing its appearance when in use, a portion of the collar being broken away to show how the stiffening lies therein.

A is the co1lar,which is of ordinary constructionexcept that at the middle of the outer edge of the overlying portion an opening is left, the edges or a of which are preferably hemmed to prevent raveling.

B B are two pieces of compressed paper,. 1

, l l id, or other like material, which when placed together, as shown in Fig. 3, are collar-shaped and of sufficient size to fit within the annular closed pocket formed between the two thicknesses which make the upper and under side of the collar. Each piece Bis provided with lips 1), adapted to interlock, as shown in Fig. 3, and may also be provided with a second set of lips I) for purposes of adjustment.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The shirt and collar having been laundered without starch, one of the pieces B is introduced through the opening formed between the edges a and is worked up as far as it will go into one of the points of the collar. The other piece is then introduced in like manner into the other point and the two parts are interlocked in the back, for example, as shown in Fig. 3. The shirt may then be used, and when being worn will have the appearance shown in Fig. 4, the stiffening-pieces forming a stay which will stretch the collar and give it the appearance of having been starched.

I have thought it desirable to make one of the forward corners of each piece 13 curved slightly, in order that it may slide easily into place. I have also thought it desirable to show the second set of interlocking lips, for the reason that some materials are liable to shrink, and hence the collar may be shortened slightly after washing, in which case the second lips I) may be utilized for adjusting the length of the stiffener.

The above is the simplest mode of applyingmy invention now known to me, its peculiarity lying in the fact that the parts of the stiffener are so constructed that they may be inserted in the opening on the overlying edge of the collar and then worked into place,

after which they are interlocked so as to hold the collar as described.

I have shown the opening through which the stiffeners are introduced into the collar at the middle of the outer lower edge. In this case the opening is closed while the collar is being worn, this edge being stretched over the wearers back. Hence it is not necessary to provide any means for fastening the opening of the edges together. The collar otherwise is made in the ordinary manner, the stitching together of the outer edges of the collar, excepting at the points above described, serving to hold the stiffener in place. By this means the stiffener is always concealed, and it is not necessary that any means should be provided for holding it other than the collar itself.

\Vhile I prefer to form interlocking devices on both sections of the collar-stay, as shown in Fig. 2, good results can be obtained by forming only one lip on one section and causing the edge of the opposite section to fit in said lip.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A collar-shaped stay made in sections and provided with means for interlocking their adjacent ends, in combination with a collar having an annular, closed pocket open only along the outer edge of the overlying portion near the central part thereof for the introduction of the stay-sections endwise.

2. The herein-described collar-shaped stay made in two sections, one of which is formed with a slit producing a lip adapted to interlock with the other section.

3. In combination with a collar having a suitable narrow opening on one of its edges, a stay of substantially the kind described consisting of two or more pieces of stilt material provided at the adjacent ends with two or more sets of interlocking devices, whereby as the collar shrinks the length of the stay may be adjusted, as and for the purposes set forth.

4. The herein-described collar-shaped collarstay, made in two sections, and each formed at one end with two or more curved slits producing lips to interlock with corresponding parts on the other section.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of November, 1895. JOHN B. PEARSON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE O. G. COALE, EVA A. GUILD. 

